Shemini Atzeret 2026/5787 By Jen Smith There is something strange about Shemini Atzeret. We have already done everything. We spent the month of Elul preparing our souls, and then we stood before God on Rosh Hashanah. We confessed and fasted on Yom Kippur, and then we built our sukkot, shook the lulav and etrog, welcomed […]
V’Zot HaBerachah Deut. 33:1–34:12 By Jen Smith There is something wonderfully Jewish about the way we finish reading the Torah. After an entire year of wandering through the wilderness, wrestling with God, making mistakes, finding redemption, building community, and occasionally complaining about the food, we finally arrive at the very last portion of the Torah, […]
Click the Icon or Text Below for More Information Fri. Oct. 2 6:30 PM Simchat Torah Shabbat Service Sat. Oct. 3 10 AM Yizkor Service in the Chapel for Simchat Torah Sun. Oct. 4 9:30 AM First Day of Machane TBA Sun. Oct. 4 9:30 AM Moms of Machane Bingo Kickoff! Mon. Oct. 5 10:30 […]
Ha’azinu Deuteronomy 32:1-52 by Jen Smith Give ear, O heavens, let me speak; Let the earth hear the words I utter … (Deut. 32:1) Moses is almost out of time. The Israelites stand on the edge of the Promised Land, and Moses knows that he will not cross over with them. And though Moses faithfully taught the laws to the people and reminded them of […]
Nitzavim-Vayelech Deut. 29:9–31:30 By Jen Smith I love High Holy Day season! The renewal of our souls makes so much sense when juxtaposed with freshly sharpened pencils, a new backpack, and a cool new outfit. All these markers line the proverbial streets of my mind like an array of rainbow-colored arrows all pointing in the […]
Click the Icon or Text Below for More Information Thurs. Sept. 3 7:30 PM IVF Needle Painting with Glitter Enthusiast Fri. Sept. 4 6:30 PM Camp Inspired Shabbat Service Sat. Sept. 5 8:00 PM Nosh8:30 PM Service S’lichot Nosh and Service Sun. Sept. 69 AM Deliver Rosh Hashanah Gift Baskets with JSSA Sun. Sept. 69:30 […]
Ki Tavo Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8 by Jen Smith There is something wonderfully optimistic about the first day of school. The backpacks are still clean. The pencils have erasers. The notebooks contain nothing but possibility. Parents take pictures on front porches, teachers welcome students into freshly decorated classrooms with renewed enthusiasm, and children walk through the doors […]
Our weekly Torah blog will be taking a short break while our staff enjoys time out of the office with family and friends. Just as Shabbat invites us to pause, rest, and renew, this brief break gives our team the opportunity to recharge before returning with fresh insights and reflections. We hope you decide to […]
Eikev Deut. 7:12–11:25 by Jen Smith Every morning, many of us cover our eyes to recite the familiar words of the Shema, proclaiming Adonai echad – God is One. This week, however, Parashat Eikev draws our attention to an overlooked transition: the second paragraph of the Shema, which contains a profoundly surprising lesson about the […]
Va’etchanan Deut. 3:23–7:11 By Jen Smith In the second century C.E., long before the Marvel movies, superhero franchises, and even Star Wars, Greek philosopher, Homer, gave the world The Odyssey. The epic poem tells the story of Odysseus, a leader in the Trojan war who becomes a weary traveler struggling for years to return home. Along the way, Odysseus encounters monsters, temptations, storms, false paradises, and impossible […]
